New Fallbrook Marine Corps JROTC Raiders team takes top honors

FALLBROOK – Recently forming a Raiders Team, the Fallbrook High School Marine Corps JROTC is continuing to expand offerings and challenges for its cadets. A Raider team focuses on challenges that require physical fitness, team work, goal setting, problem-solving, resourcefulness, confidence building and orienteering skills.

The newly formed team started their rigorous training four months ago, and in only their second competition testing their mettle, the team took three first place awards and placed second overall out of 22 teams.

The competition, called the Battle at Bandini, was held Feb. 23, at U.S. Marine Corps Base 29 Palms in California. The competition was open to JROTC units from every branch of the service across multiple states.

Raiders competition events are each uniquely challenging – akin to a military team version of the “American Ninja Warrior” TV show. Every event course is not only physically challenging but mentally challenging because teams have a cognitive challenge at the end of the course which they have to solve as a team.

Battle at Bandini featured 11 separate unique obstacle course events that tested different skill sets. Fallbrook’s JROTC Raiders placed first in the strength course, first in the obstacle course, first in the movement to contact course and second place in the overall competition.

Each event first place gave the Raiders a Shield of Honor award. For their overall second place finish, the cadets were presented a Spartan Warrior’s Helmet.

The team began when Cadet 1st Sgt. John Regan moved to Fallbrook High this year from a high school that had a Raider team that he used to participate in. On finding out his new unit did not have a Raider team, Regan approached Lt. Col. Wade, the senior Marine instructor for the program, about starting one.

“This program is all about leadership,” Wade said to him. “If you’re willing to put in the work to start and lead the team, of course we will make it happen.”

The new student set out to recruit other cadets to take on the challenge. He found 23 other cadets who were willing to train before and after school as well as on weekends while maintaining their academic studies.

The cadets work as a team and train together to accomplish challenging physical tasks such as running with combat loads, strength and endurance challenges, rope climbing, navigating and negotiating and overcoming obstacles.

“It was great moment for the team. The leadership, dedication and camaraderie these students have really showed at this event,” Master Sgt. Brian Richardson, Fallbrook Marine instructor, said. “We are here to guide and support these students, but they have really taken on the mantle of leadership every step of the way since FHS began the Marine Corps JROTC almost three years ago. Our community can be so proud. Our cadets across the board have excelled and are getting noticed nationally in multiple areas.”

Submitted by Fallbrook High Marine Corps JROTC.